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Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964, later and formerly Steven Williams), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and professional wrestler. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which later became WWE For Extreme (WWE:FE) in 2002. Cited by WWE.com and owner Vince McMahon as the most popular wrestler in the company's history, Austin gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied McMahon, his boss. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping McMahon off and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move. Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make part-time appearances. Early life Austin was born Steven James Anderson in Victoria, Texas. After his father left the family, his mother, Beverly, re-married to Ken Williams, and Austin adopted his stepfather's surname. After attending Schaumburg High School, Austin got a football scholarship at Wharton County Junior College, followed by a full scholarship at North Texas State University. Austin played four full years of football, but dropped out of NTSU after his football eligibility ended because he was short of graduating and no longer desired to be in school. Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (1991–1995) After some time, Austin decided to become a professional wrestler and enrolled at the wrestling school run by Chris Adams, whose school was run out of the Dallas Sportatorium where he was wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling. Austin made his debut in World Class in 1989 under his real name, but was later given the name "Steve Austin" by Memphis-area booker Dutch Mantel. Austin's run in Memphis was part of the merger between World Class and the Continental Wrestling Association out of Memphis, with the combined company known as the United States Wrestling Association. Austin would eventually return to Dallas and feud with Adams, with Percy Pringle and Jeannie Adams (Adams' real-life former wife and Austin's girlfriend at the time) as his valets. It was during this time Austin adopted the "Stunning" nickname that followed him to WCW. Austin left WCCW after its final folding in 1990 and signed with WCW the next year. He was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica, but was later joined by Jeannie Adams as "Lady Blossom". Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for the WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991, just weeks after his debut. In late 1991, Austin joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. Austin lost the WCW Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two out of three falls match on April 27, 1992. He regained the title from Windham on May 23, 1992. Austin enjoyed a second lengthy reign before losing to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter. At Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team title. The teams wrestled to a thirty minute time limit draw. In January 1993, Austin formed a tag team with Brian Pillman known as The Hollywood Blonds. The Blonds won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on March 3, 1993, defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. The Hollywood Blonds held the title for five months. At Clash of the Champions XXIII the Blonds faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two out of three falls tag Team title match. Flair and Anderson defeated the Blonds, but were not awarded the title as one fall had been determined by a disqualification. At Clash of the Champions XXIV, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend the title against Anderson and Paul Roma. An injured Pillman, however, was replaced by Steven Regal. Austin and Regal lost to Anderson and Roma. With Pillman still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. After Pillman returned, Austin betrayed and defeated him in a singles match at Clash of the Champions XXV. At Starrcade, in a two out of 3 falls match, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Austin lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on August 24, 1994. Austin was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a back injury, and Austin was awarded the title by forfeit. His second reign ended just minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan in a match that lasted thirty-five seconds. Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the United States Championship at Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX. After returning from a knee injury in early 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight title, where he defeated Duggan via count out in the first round, but lost to Randy Savage in the quarterfinals. Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995) In 1995, Austin was fired by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, after suffering a triceps injury, while wrestling on a Japanese tour; Bischoff and WCW did not see Austin as a 'marketable' wrestler. Austin described his opinion on being fired over the phone as Eric Bishoff taking the coward's way out. Eventually, Austin was contacted by Paul Heyman of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), who had managed him in WCW. Heyman hired Austin to do in-ring interviews, as he still had not recovered from his injury enough to wrestle. While in ECW, Austin used the platform to develop his future "Stone Cold" persona as well as a series of vignettes running down WCW in general and Bischoff in particular. While with ECW, Austin was known as "Superstar" Steve Austin. He had a match with The Sandman and feuded with Mikey Whipwreck. Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, defeated Austin at November to Remember. The Sandman defeated Steve Austin and Whipwreck in a Triple Threat match at December to Dismember in 1995 for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1995–2006) The Ringmaster (1995–1996) In late 1995, Austin joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after Kevin Nash and Jim Ross helped convince WWF's owner Vince McMahon to hire him. Initially, Austin wrestled as "The Ringmaster" and was managed by Ted DiBiase, who awarded him with the Million Dollar Championship. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega at WrestleMania XII. During this time, Austin shaved his head bald. At In Your House: Beware of Dog, Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap match" to Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF, giving Austin the opportunity to forge his own path. Austin later told announcer Dok Hendrix (Michael P.S. Hayes) that he had purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of his manager. Austin 3:16 and rise to superstardom (1996–1997) Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began at the 1996 King of the Ring. Austin began using his trademark finishing maneuver, the Stone Cold Stunner; with this new technique, he won the King of the Ring tournament, receiving a push originally intended for Triple H, but taken away from him after an incident the month before. After defeating Marc Mero in the semi-finals, Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the finals. At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, so after the match, Austin cut a now famous promo during his coronation, telling Roberts, "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!". "Austin 3:16" ultimately became one of the most popular catch phrases in wrestling history. Austin spoke about Bret Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly. Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At Survivor Series, Hart pinned Austin in a match which helped create the foundations for the eventual intense year-long feud between the two. The match came hot on the heels of an incident broadcast live on Raw, which saw Austin "break into" Brian Pillman's house, with Pillman holding a gun. During the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Bret Hart, but the officials did not see it, and he snuck back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes, thus winning the match. This led to the first-ever pay-per-view main event of Austin's WWF career at In Your House 13: Final Four, which due to real-life events largely revolving around Shawn Michaels, the match was for the suddenly vacant WWF Championship. Austin was eliminated from the four-way match early after injuring his knee, but was involved in the finish which saw Hart win his fourth WWF Championship, which he lost the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, leading to the continuation of their feud. At WrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a 'Submission' match with Ken Shamrock as a special referee. During the match, Austin was cut so that he bled, and Hart refused to release his Sharpshooter since Austin had refused to give up. The match ended in Austin passing out due to blood loss. Despite his wounds he refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-turn. Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart when he injured Hart's leg in a no disqualification match on Raw, which featured Austin refusing to let go of his own Sharpshooter and beating Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. Austin would face Hart once again in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, which Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance from The British Bulldog. After his feud with Hart, he faced The Undertaker for the WWF Championship at In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell. Austin had the Undertaker down with the Stunner, but due to a distraction from Brian Pillman, Undertaker nailed Austin with a Tombstone Piledriver and achieved the victory. During this time, Austin found a way to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions. On May 25, 1997, Austin and Shawn Michaels defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog for the title. They held the title until July 14, before Michaels was forced to vacate due to an injury. That same night a tournament was held to determine who would face Austin and a partner of his choosing for the vacant championship. Hart and Bulldog won the tournament, with Austin refusing to pick a partner and choosing to wrestle the former tag team champions by himself. Late in the match, a debuting Dude Love came out to offer assistance and Austin became a two-time tag team champion. Austin continued his feud with the Hart family, becoming embroiled in a heated rivalry with Bret Hart's brother, Owen Hart. At SummerSlam, Austin and Hart faced each other with Hart's WWF Intercontinental Championship on the line and an added stipulation that Austin would have to kiss Hart's buttocks if he lost. During the match Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck for Austin and temporary paralysis. As Hart stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl and pin Hart using a roll-up to win the Intercontinental Championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by a number of referees and led to the back. Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental title and the Tag Team titles. Austin was sidelined until Survivor Series. However, in the interim he made several appearances, one being at Bad Blood where he was involved in the finish of a match between Hart and Faarooq, which was the final match in an Intercontinental Championship tournament. Austin hit Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship belt while the referee's back was turned, causing Hart to win the match. Austin's motives were to keep the Intercontinental Championship around Hart's waist, and were proven when he interfered in Hart's matches on the October 20 and 27 editions of Raw. Austin would regain the Intercontinental Championship from Hart at Survivor Series. With Hart out of the way, Austin set his sights on Rocky Maivia, who stole Austin's belt on the November 17 edition of Raw after a beating by his Nation of Domination stablemates. In the weeks to come, Maivia began referring to himself as "The Rock" and declaring himself to be "the best damn Intercontinental Champion" ever. The Rock kept possession of the belt until D-Generation X: In Your House, when Austin defeated him to retain the title and get his belt back. As Austin had used his pickup truck to aid in his victory, McMahon ordered him to defend the title against The Rock the next night on Raw. In an act of defiance, Austin tossed the belt into a New Hampshire river, and McMahon subsequently stripped Austin of the title and awarded it to The Rock. Feuding with Mr. McMahon (1997–1999) On September 22, 1997, on the first ever ''Monday Night Raw'' to be broadcast from Madison Square Garden, Owen Hart was giving a speech to the fans in attendance. During his speech, Austin entered the ring with five NYPD officers following, and assaulted Hart. As if it looked Austin was going to fight the officers, Vince McMahon ran into the ring to lecture Austin about why he couldn't be "physically" able to compete. After telling McMahon that he respects the fact that he and the WWF cared, Austin attacked McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, leaving McMahon in shock. Austin was then arrested on charges of trespassing, assault, and assaulting a police officer. This marked the beginning of the Austin-McMahon rivalry. With Bret Hart's departure for WCW, Austin and Shawn Michaels were the top superstars in the company. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock. The next night on Raw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation of Mike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin flipped off Tyson, which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began to publicly disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event at WrestleMania XIV, although he appeared to be aligning himself with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels' stable D-Generation X. This led to Austin's WWF Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels, and later hit HBK with his knock-out punch. In fact Shawn Michaels had suffered two herniated discs and another completely crushed at the hands of the Undertaker in a 'casket match' in the previous PPV, many have cited this nearly fatal injury of Michaels to be an other reason to why he lost the championship to Austin at WrestleMania XIV. This victory ushered in the Austin Era, and with it, The Attitude Era. On the Raw after Austin won the WWF Title, Vince McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way." Austin gave his answer in the form of another Stunner. This led to a segment a week later where Austin had pledged a few days prior in a meeting to "play ball" with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, with a beaming McMahon taking a picture of himself and his new corporate champion. The entire thing was a ruse by Austin who in the course of the segment proceeded to tear off the suit, tell McMahon it was the last time he would see Austin dressed like this, punch his boss in the "corporate grapefruits," and take another picture of the two of them while McMahon was doubled over in pain. In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Love and Austin at Unforgiven: In Your House, where Austin hit McMahon with a steel chair then the following month they had a rematch at Over the Edge: In Your House for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin Austin, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Austin lost the WWF Championship to Kane in a First Blood match. Austin further infuriated McMahon by winning back the championship the next night on Raw. Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker at SummerSlam. In response, McMahon set up a Triple Threat match at Breakdown: In Your House, where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon decided to vacate the WWF Championship and award it based on a match between the Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee. Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon later fired him, although Austin got revenge by kidnapping McMahon and dragging him to the middle of the ring at "gunpoint," which ended up being a toy gun with a scroll that read "Bang! 3:16." Also the segment was very "embarrassing" to McMahon as it showed he was so scared that he urinated his pants. Stone Cold was later re-signed by Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of a tournament to award the vacant championship, Austin lost to Mankind, after Shane double-crossed Austin. The next night on Raw, Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane Tombstoned The Undertaker into the grave. With this victory, Austin qualified for the 1999 Royal Rumble. Austin's next definitive chance to exact revenge on Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble match. On Raw, McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the obvious intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry number one, while McMahon drew number two thanks to WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Rumble match, McMahon slipped out of the ring and into the crowd as Austin chased him down. It turned out to be a trap as McMahon led Austin into the lobby restroom where he was ambushed by members of The Corporation. Austin was injured and taken away in an ambulance. With Austin gone and not in the Rumble match, McMahon joined the announce table in calling the match. Later on, however, Austin returned in an ambulance and re-entered the Royal Rumble, delivering a Stunner to the Big Boss Man and eliminating him. With the assistance of the Corporation and a last minute interference from The Rock, Austin was eliminated by McMahon himself, and McMahon won the 1999 Royal Rumble. With McMahon turning down his number-one contender spot against The Rock, WWF Commissioner Michaels awarded Austin the title shot during Raw the next night. At St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Stone Cold got a one-on-one match against McMahon in a Steel Cage match, with the WWF Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XV at stake. During the match, Paul Wight made his debut, breaking through from under the ring and attacking Austin. Wight's attack propelled Austin into the side of the cage forcing the cage to give way and dropping Austin to the floor first, making him the victor. Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWF Championship. Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at Backlash, in which Shane McMahon was the referee. During the match, McMahon approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his Smoking Skull belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. The Undertaker, however, won the WWF Championship from Austin at Over the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince McMahon, Stephanie and Linda McMahon made Stone Cold the Chief Executive Officer of the company. Vince and Shane McMahon challenged Austin to a Handicap Ladder match at King of the Ring with the CEO title on the line, which the duo of father and son won. The next night on Raw, however, Austin made it clear that while he was the CEO of the company, he could have a title shot at any time and place to be determined by himself. Austin made the WWF Championship match that night on Raw and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship. However, after he won it, the Undertaker came and hit him with the Championship belt, leading to a first blood match at Fully Loaded where Mr McMahon made the rule if Austin lost he would never be able to wrestle for the WWF Championship again, and if Austin won, he would never see McMahon again. Austin won after hitting the Undertaker (with the help of x pac distracting undertaker) with a TV camera and gave McMahon a goodbye Stone Cold stunner. Austin held on to the Championship belt until SummerSlam when he lost it to Mankind in a Triple Threat match also featuring Triple H. Austin would get his rematch at No Mercy against Triple H but lost after The Rock accidentally struck him with a sledgehammer that was meant for Triple H. By Survivor Series, Triple H was still champion. Austin was booked into a triple threat match for the WWF Championship that also included Triple H and The Rock. Instead, however, Austin was run down by a car in the parking lot. The Big Show would replace Austin in the match and would win the WWF Championship. What followed was neck surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and a nine-month rehabilitation with the car angle as his reason for leaving. In reality, Austin had needed neck surgery since the Owen Hart incident in 1997. Return and Heel Turn (2000–2001) At Backlash, Austin attacked Triple H and Vince McMahon, helping The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. At Unforgiven, Austin made his official return and tried to find out who ran him down at Survivor Series the previous year. Rikishi finally admitted to being the driver because "he did it for the people." At No Mercy, Austin was back to face Rikishi in a No Holds Barred Match. During the match, Austin motioned he was going to drive his truck into Rikishi, who by that time was a bloody mess. Before he could, he was stopped by officials and the match was deemed a no contest and Austin was (kayfabe) arrested and later bailed by Commissioner Mick Foley. During a handicap match against Rikishi and Kurt Angle, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin. After clearing the ring, Triple H smashed his sledgehammer over Austin's head, and revealed it was actually him behind the whole scheme, devised to shield the WWF Championship from Austin and end his career. At Survivor Series, Triple H had plotted to run Austin down again during their match (thus repeating the events of the previous year's Survivor Series) but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's automobile with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet. Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001, last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended at No Way Out in a Three Stages of Hell match, with Triple H beating Austin two falls to one. Then, at WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin turned heel by hitting The Rock with a steel chair several times to win the WWF Championship. After the match, Austin shook hands and shared a beer with Vince McMahon. With the victory, Austin became a five-time WWF Champion. The next night on Raw, after teasing a quick face turn, the heel turn continued. He also altered his character considerably over the next few months, in a deliberate turn from the rebellious and anti-establishment character beloved by the fans, Austin became a whiny, temperamental prima donna who would complain incessantly when he felt he was not getting the respect from the fans and wrestlers that he deserved. He also developed an infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him and even going so far as to hugging him and bringing him presents. McMahon, though visibly uncomfortable and wary by the attention, was still grateful to have Austin with him instead of against him. During a cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the title, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer and together with Austin viciously attacked The Rock and put him out of action. Austin further cemented his heel turn the following Thursday on Smackdown! when, during an interview with Jim Ross about his actions at WrestleMania, thought Ross was denouncing their friendship and then proceeded to attack and brutally assault Ross. Austin and Triple H became a team and called themselves The Two-Man Power Trip. Austin and Triple H were the top heels in the company feuding with The Undertaker and Kane. After defeating Kane and The Undertaker for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Backlash, they held the Tag Team Titles, the WWF Championship (Austin), and the WWF Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. At Judgment Day, Triple H lost his Intercontinental Title against Kane. Then, the following night on Raw, Austin and Triple H wrestled against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit with the Tag Team Titles on the line. Midway through the match, Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle. As planned, the team lost the Tag Team Title at the end of the match when Triple H accidentally hit Austin in the stomach with a sledgehammer, but the injury to Triple H, which kept him out for the remainder of the year, forced the WWF to go in another direction. Austin had a minor injury for a month. The Invasion (2001) Austin was paired with Kurt Angle and feuded against Jericho and Benoit. This culminated with a Triple Threat match at King of the Ring, in which Austin faced the former tag team champions. Although WCW's Booker T interfered, Austin scored the victory and retained his championship. The feud ended at that point, as Benoit had neck surgery after the match, sidelining him for the following year. In July 2001, with Benoit out for surgery, the Austin/Jericho feud was dropped without a mention. With the Rock still away making movies, the WWF desperately rushed out the plans for The Invasion. As The Invasion storyline began and progressed, McMahon was watching helplessly as his empire was crumbling around him due to The Alliance luring more and more talent away from the WWF, and his biggest allies, Austin and Angle, too busy sucking up to him and bickering amongst themselves to successfully counter the Alliance. Austin made it known that he was against teaming with Angle, whom Austin saw as both a threat to his title, as well as an annoying tag along. A frustrated McMahon appealed to Austin to return to his old Texas Rattlesnake persona, even imploring him to give him a Stone Cold Stunner. Though intending to fire up Austin, it backfired and only seemed to hurt his feelings, as he promptly left the arena, dejected. But the week before InVasion, the old Stone Cold Steve Austin "returned," delivering stunners to the Alliance members. This was all part of the setup for a swerve at the event, where Austin betrayed the WWF team and partner Angle to help the Alliance win, as Austin assumed leadership of the group. The reason why Austin did this was because he felt that McMahon was grooming Angle to take over his spot, and that he was "unappreciated" when McMahon insisted he return to the old Austin. Austin lost and regained his title in a feud with Angle, who was put over by Austin as a threat. Austin lost the title to Angle at Unforgiven before regaining it on the October 8, 2001 episode of Raw. In a swerve, Angle joined the Alliance just before Survivor Series. As the Invasion angle dragged on, it was ultimately decided to bring the plot line to an end with Austin and a group of ECW and WCW wrestlers facing The Rock and a group of WWF wrestlers at the Survivor Series. Austin and his team lost after Angle betrayed him, thus ending the Invasion angle. The next night on Raw, as McMahon was about to award Angle with the WWF Championship for actions at Survivor Series, Ric Flair came out and announced that he owned half of the WWF. Austin came out and attacked Angle and McMahon, thus regaining the WWF Championship. Austin then had a beer bash with Flair, turning Austin face once again. Austin would hold the WWF Championship for another month before losing it to Chris Jericho at Vengeance due to interference from Booker T. Jericho defeated both The Rock and Austin consecutively that night, winning the WCW World Title and later the WWF Title and combining them to create the WWF Undisputed Championship. After that, Austin continued another feud with Booker T. In one angle, Austin defeated Booker T in an unofficial grocery store fight. Backstage issues and departure (2002–2004) By 2002, Austin's spot as top face in the WWF was not secure as it had been. In the 2002 Royal Rumble, Triple H was set to make his long awaited return from injury, with he and Austin 2 of the last 4 participants in the ring along with Kurt Angle and Mr Perfect. Austin was eliminated by Kurt Angle, however he shortly went back in the ring and hit all the last 3 with a steel chair. A few days later on Raw he defeated Kurt Angle to earn a WWF Undisputed title shot against Chris Jericho at No Way Out 2002, where the re-signed New World Order started a feud with him after Austin refused a beer gift. At WrestleMania X8, Austin defeated Scott Hall instead. In a surprise altercation the next night on Raw, Austin refused to show up and took a week long break without the companies consent, claiming exhaustion. Austin returned on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin entered a feud with the Undertaker that resulted in a number one contenders match for the WWF Undisputed Championship at Backlash, which Austin lost despite having his foot on the rope. He would later be betrayed by Big Show, who went on to rejoin the nWo, and Ric Flair. Austin then defeated Big Show and Flair in a handicap match at Judgment Day. Bored and run down, Austin began to create problems backstage. In an interview on WWE television by telephone, Austin criticised the direction the company was heading in and slated the creative team for not using him the way he felt they should have. McMahon responded a week later on the same show claiming that Austin was the type of wrestler who was occasionally difficult to work with. The WWF rehired Eddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, whilst also prepping Austin for a feud with Brock Lesnar. Austin, however, vetoed any matches that would result in him losing and ultimately walked out of the company when the writing staff wanted Austin to lose to Lesnar. Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a victory did no favors to either side, as it made Austin look weak losing to a rookie and did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of the magnitude that Austin held. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra. Austin's last appearance was on June 3, when he defeated Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. After Austin no-showed an episode of Raw, the angle was dropped. Austin had decided to walk out again because of bad storylines that were presented to him by the creative team. The commentators, including long time Austin supporter Jim Ross, buried Austin on WWE programming, referring to the situation as Austin "taking his ball and going home" because he wasn't getting his way. This period was also documented in an episode of WWE Confidential. In February 2003, Austin returned to WWE at No Way Out in a short match against Eric Bischoff. Austin would wrestle only one match between then and WrestleMania in another short match against Bischoff on Raw, but was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, who returned about the same time as a smug, "sell out" villain, which, ultimately, became Austin's last official match in WWE. The night after on Raw, Bischoff "fired" Austin on medical grounds. Austin then gave an interview with wwe.com the next morning confessing that the medical problems read out on Raw were real and had been seriously plaguing him since late 2001, and was wrestling against the advice of his doctors up to his departure in 2002 which forced him to quit wrestling. He announced deep regret over the situation that led to his departure and the way in which he'd left, and deeper regret over inaccurate speculation regarding his alleged grudges held against other WWE wrestlers, claiming he had no problems with Kevin Nash or Scott Hall rejoining the company, but did confess he had problems with HHH's role in the company upon his return, but insisted as of 2003 they resolved, and that none of his disputes with the wrestlers continued or played the major part in his departure. He was brought back by Linda McMahon as the Co-General Manager of Raw. The move to the role of Co-General Manager was a way to keep Austin on-camera while limiting Austin's in-ring performance due to the long running injuries wearing him down throughout his career. On the November 17, 2003 edition of Raw, Austin was "fired" from Raw as the result of a stipulation in a match at Survivor Series where Austin's hand-picked team of wrestlers failed to beat Bischoff's team of wrestlers. Austin quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003 when he was part of the WWE Tribute to the Troops taped live in front of U.S. troops in Iraq, posing and stunning Mr. McMahon. He finally came back on Raw on December 29 as its "Sheriff", giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Eric Bischoff and rehiring Shawn Michaels, who had just been "fired" by Bischoff. Austin appeared on and off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the infamous match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. Then, on April 17, WWE put out a press release on their website claiming that Steve Austin and WWE were unable to settle long-running contract disputes and had again parted ways. Part-time appearances (2005) Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year at WrestleMania 21 where he was confronted by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in Piper's Pit until Carlito interrupted to insult both. This resulted in Carlito receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and Piper throwing him out of the ring. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner as well. He then appeared on the following nights Raw. WWE For Extreme Television and film career Austin filmed guest roles on Celebrity Deathmatch and Nash Bridges, where he played Detective Jake Cage. His motion picture debut was in a supporting role as Guard Dunham in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard. Filmography Film Television Personal life Steve Williams dated Kathryn Burrhus throughout high school and college, and the two married on November 24, 1990. Nonetheless, Williams pursued a relationship with Jeannie Clark ("Lady Blossom"), with whom he was working. His marriage to Burrhus was quickly annulled on August 7, 1992, and Williams and Clark married on December 18, 1992. Together, they have two daughters, Stephanie (born in 1992) and Cassidy (born in 1996). He also adopted Jade, Clark's daughter with former husband Chris Adams. Jade is also married to professional wrestler Adam Windsor. Williams and Clark divorced on May 10, 1999 and their daughters live in Southend-on-Sea, England with Clark, while Jade remains living in America with her husband and son. On September 13, 2000, Williams married Debra Marshall. On June 15, 2002, however, police were called to their residence in San Antonio, Texas. They found a hysterical Marshall with bruises. Williams had left the house and was asked by police not to return. On August 14, 2002, Williams was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pled no contest on November 25, 2002 and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out eighty hours of community service. Marshall would later claim that Williams was a steroid user and this incident was the result of roid rage. Williams filed for divorce from Marshall on July 22, 2002 and the divorce was finalized on February 5, 2003. In December 2007, the Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin legally changed his real name (Steven Williams) to his wrestling name Steve Austin. In wrestling *''' Finishing moves''' **'As "Stone Cold" Steve Austin' ***''Stone Cold Stunner'' (Sitout three-quarter facelock jawbreaker, usually preceded by a kick to the opponent's midsection) **'As "Stunning" Steve Austin' ***''Stun Gun'' (Flapjack dropped into a hangman) **'As The Ringmaster' ***''Million Dollar Dream'' (Cobra clutch) *'Signature moves' **'As "Stone Cold" Steve Austin' ***Back body drop ***Catapult ***Clothesline ***Cobra clutch ***Leapfrog body guillotine to an opponent draped over the second rope ***''Mudhole Stomp'' (Multiple stomps to the chest of a seated opponent in a corner, followed by the middle finger gesture to the opponent and finished with a final stomp) ***Pointed elbow drop, sometimes from the second or top rope ***Spinebuster ***Stomp to the opponent's groin ***Superplex ***Texas piledriver ***Thesz press followed by multiple punches **'As "Stunning" Steve Austin' ***''Hollywood and Vine'' (Standing figure four leglock) ***Knee drop ***Pointed elbow drop, sometimes from the second or top rope ***Schoolboy pin ***Sleeper hold ***Vertical suplex *'Managers' **Paul E. Dangerously **Col. Robert Parker **Ted DiBiase **Paul Bearer *'Nicknames' **'"Stone Cold"' **'"The Texas Rattlesnake"' **"The Bionic Redneck" **"The Meanest, Toughest Son of a Bitch in the WWF/E" **"Superstar" **"Stunning" **"C.W." **"Austin 3:16" *'Entrance music' **"Roman Love" (WCW) **"Satan's Sister" (WCW) (as part of the Hollywood Blondes) **"Jesus Christ Superstar" (ECW) **"Million $ Rap" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996, as The Ringmaster) **"Ringmaster" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996, as The Ringmaster) **"Hell Frozen Over" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996–1998) **"I Won't Do What You Tell Me" by Jim Johnston (1998–2000, 2001–2010) **"Glass Shatters" by Disturbed (2000–2001) **"Rattlesnake"/"Hell On Earth"/"Paranoid"/"Venemous" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 2001, used interchangeably during the InVasion angle) Championships and accomplishments *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. Vince McMahon **PWI Match of the Year (1997) vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 in a Submission match **PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2001) **PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1998) **PWI Rookie of the Year (1990) **PWI Wrestler of the Year (1998, 1999, 2001) **PWI ranked #'1' of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998 and 1999 **PWI ranked #'19' of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI Years in 2003 *'Texas Wrestling Federation' **TWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The California Stud *'World Championship Wrestling' **WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Pillman **WCW World Television Championship (2 times) *''' World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment' **Million Dollar Championship (1 time) **WWF Championship (6 times) **WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times) **Tag Team Championship|WWF Tag Team Championship] (4 times) – with Shawn Michaels (1), Dude Love (1), The Undertaker (1) and Triple H (1) **King of the Ring (1996) **Royal Rumble (1997, 1998, 2001) **Slammy Award for Freedom of Speech (1997) **Fifth Triple Crown Champion *'Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards''' **Best Box Office Draw (1998, 1999) **Best Gimmick (1997, 1998) **Best Heel (1996) **Best Interviews (1996–1998, 2001) **Best Non-Wrestler (2003) **Feud of the Year (1997) vs. The Hart Foundation **Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. Vince McMahon **Match of the Year (1997) vs. Bret Hart in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13 **Most Charismatic (1997, 1998) **Rookie of the Year (1990) **Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blonds **Wrestler of the Year (1998) **Worst Worked Match of the Year (1991) with Terrance Taylor vs. Bobby Eaton and P.N. News in a Scaffold match at The Great American Bash